Freelance Writer and Editor

The reality of being a pregnant woman in Yarl’s Wood

Originally published at The Pool:Lucy was 23 when she fell pregnant, following a brutal gang rape by three men in her home country. After receiving threats on her life, she fled to the UK, believing she would be safe here – only to find herself locked up in Yarl’s Wood detention centre at five months pregnant. This is her story, as told to Sarah Graham.

After the attack, I knew people were after me. I was getting threatening letters, I saw men in front of our house, and my mum and I knew the police would not help. I told her it was too much for me; my life was in danger and I had to leave. We sold almost everything we had for me to escape, and friends and relatives contributed to the cost.

I didn’t know what to expect from England. I never thought in my life I would travel, so when it happened I didn’t think of anything except that I had to find somewhere safe for myself and my baby.

When I landed in the UK, they started interrogating me at the airport. They took my bag and my phone, so I couldn’t contact my mum, and the guy told me that if I didn’t tell him the truth, he was going to lock me up. I was really scared.

They took me to Colnbrook [detention centre]. I was really distressed and didn’t know what was happening to me. I wasn’t eating or drinking, just pacing up and down. That whole night I didn’t sleep, and I was crying throughout. The next morning they let me call my mum, and she was crying with me. “All that we struggled for, all the money we spent, everything was in vain,” she said.

I met a Ghanaian lady in Colnbrook, who told me how to seek asylum, and I started making calls to lawyers. Then the escorts came to take me to Yarl’s Wood.

About me

Gender inequality and sexism have huge health implications - from the staggering rate of male suicide, to the ongoing attacks on women's sexual and reproductive rights.

As a feminist health journalist, I'm particularly interested in those areas where feminism and wellbeing collide. I explore this in more detail on my women's health blog, Hysterical Women.

This blog is a place to curate my recent work, profile the small business clients I love working with, and reflect in a more personal way on freelancing, mental health, and feminism. Expect ups, downs, recommendations, and vulnerability.

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